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August 12, 2010

Mitchell falling behind in Kohl's $500,000 competition

With just three weeks to go in the Kohl's Cares $10 million school giveaway, Racine's Mitchell Middle School is falling behind.

Mitchell held its own at the beginning of the contest, in which the top 20 schools will each receive $500,000. But today it's in 30th place, ten away from the prize pool. Mitchell has 8,531 votes; the school now in 20th place, Hebrew Academy of Huntington Beach, CA, has 12,341. At the top of Kohl's leaderboard is Lake High School of Millbury, OH, with 32,303 votes.

Racine's other entry in the contest, Knapp Elementary School, has 624 votes, far off the pace of Kohl's listing of the top 100 schools.

To add your voice to ours in suggesting to the powers-that-be at the Journal Times that they get behind these two Racine schools, go here.

An interesting sidelight to Mitchell's competition comes from former Racine native Dan Hammill, who now lives in Bellingham, WA. Dan writes that Kim Wendt, the Mitchell teacher who first won a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant for her school -- before moving on to the bigger challenge that Kohl's offers -- is helping and advising a non-profit effort in Washington State that is competing for a $10,000 Pepsi grant.

"Project Homeless Connect is a day when 550 service providers and volunteers help almost 700 homeless people get critical human services like dental, medical and vision care," Hamill writes. Actually, it is even more than that: Homeless Connect also provides mental health services, Washington State ID cards, housing information, legal and taxation services, haircuts and pet care, on the spot, and a free referral for follow-up care after the event.

"With Kim's help and advice, we are now in the top ten in the public voting grant process that ends Sept. 6."